India's 1st electronic toll plaza to kick-start in Chandimandir

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will roll out the country's first electronic toll collection (ETC) system at Chandimandir near Panchkula in Haryana tomorrow, replacing the current cash payment method.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will roll out the country's first electronic toll collection (ETC) system at Chandimandir near Panchkula in Haryana on Thursday, replacing the current cash payment method.

Union road transport and highways minister CP Joshi will inaugurate the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology-based toll collection plaza at Chandimandir on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway on a pilot basis, which will be replicated pan-India, an official said.

"The system will not only plug leaks under the present toll collection system but ensure uninterrupted travel on highways across the country," a road transport ministry official said.

The technology will help users to make payment without stopping at toll plazas and will reduce traffic congestion and commuting time, the official said adding that toll statements can be made available online to the road users and they don't need to stop for collecting receipt.

Under the system, a chip-embedded sticker will be stuck on a vehicle, and the driver will not have to stop at toll plazas to pay the required sum. This is because money will be automatically collected from the chip and will be pooled at one place electronically and then distributed to the toll plaza operators.

"The government plans to introduce a single RFID smart tag to be used at all toll plazas across the country," the official said.

He added that for getting the tag users "need to register with the agency with the basic details like name, address, vehicle type, vehicle registration number etc which will be stored in the central database along with unique identification tag code."

The censors placed at toll plaza gates will read the tag and allow boom barriers to go up automatically and once the vehicle crosses it, information will be sent to the central clearing house (CCH).To begin with, 1-2 lanes in each direction will be dedicated for ETC at each toll plaza.